The english we speak(BBC教学)第101期:To paint the town red 狂欢作乐
Will: Hello! I'm Will. It's Friday night-time to have fun! This is the Burning Swan-my favourite pub. I'm just waiting for Li. Oh there she is. My goodness! What is she wearing this time?
威尔:大家好!我是威尔。 现在是周五晚上,是享受快乐的时间!这里是我最喜欢的酒吧Burning Swan。我正在等李。她来了。我的天啊!她今天穿的是什么?Li: Hi Will.
李:你好,威尔。Will: Hi Li! Nice... blue overalls!
威尔:你好,李!你的蓝色工装裤……很漂亮!
Li: Thank you, these are new overalls, I bought them especially for tonight.
李:谢谢你,这是我新买的工装裤,我特意为今晚的活动买的。Will: Right. Okay. Li, I don't really follow fashion, but in London at least, denim overalls are really just for builders and painters and carpenters.
威尔:好吧。李,我其实不太追随时尚,但是至少在伦敦,棉布工装裤是建筑工、粉刷工人和木匠才会穿的。Li: Yes! Right, where do we start, Will?
李:是啊!威尔,我们从哪里开始呢?Will: Eh? What? What are you doing?
威尔:啊?什么?你要做什么?Li: It's definitely very dull in here.
李:这里简直太单调了。Will: Why have you got a can of paint?
威尔:你为什么拿着一罐油漆?Li: That wall especially. Shall we?
李:那面墙尤其单调。我们从那里开始好吗?Will: Li? What are you doing? She's finally gone mad. Li!
威尔:李?你到底要做什么?她完全疯了。李!Li: What's the matter?
李:怎么了?Will: Look, you can't just walk into places and start repainting their walls! Don't! I love that brown colour!
威尔:你看,你不能走进一些地方,然后就开始为那里的墙重新刷漆!不能这么做!我喜欢那个棕色!Li: Didn't you want it to be red?
李:你不是想让它变成红色的吗?Will: No! No-one wants it to be red!
威尔:不想!没有人希望那面墙是红色的!Li: But you said that tonight we'd paint the town red-starting with this pub!
李:可是你说今晚我们要把城市漆成红色,就从这间酒吧开始!Will: It's an expression!
威尔:那是一个表达方式!Li: Not again!
李:不是吧!Will: It means that we'll go out and have a really exciting, crazy time. We'll paint the town red-it just means we'll have fun, not actually paint things. Let's listen to some examples.
威尔:这个短语的意思是我们要出去玩,度过非常刺激又疯狂的时光。我们要把城镇染红,其实这句话的意思是我们要出去玩乐,而不是实际去刷漆。我们来听一些例子。It's my daughter's birthday today. She's gone out with her friends. I expect they'll paint the town red!
今天是我女儿的生日。她和朋友们出去玩了。我希望他们能玩得痛快!Go on, come out with me tonight, let's paint the town red!
来吧,今晚和我出去玩吧,我们去狂欢吧!We had a crazy night on Saturday, we painted the town red.
周六我们度过了一个疯狂的夜晚,我们玩得特别尽兴。Li: So now, Will, tell me about all this crazy fun we're meant to have. What's your idea of painting the town red?
李:现在,威尔,跟我说说我们要怎么作乐吧。你要怎么狂欢?Will: Well we drink, we dance, we laugh loudly, we meet people, we stay up all night.
威尔:我们喝酒、跳舞、大声欢笑,见各种人,整晚不睡。Li: Hmm. I'd still rather just paint. Let's just do this one wall.
李:嗯。我宁愿刷漆。我们就刷这一面墙。Will: No, Li, stop, stop we'll get arrested.
威尔:不要,李,停下来,停下来,我们会被捕的。Li: Isn't that colour so much better?
李:这个颜色更好看,不是吗?Will: No! No! Look, stop it! You'll ruin our night out!
威尔:不,不要!快停下来!你会毁了我们的夜晚的!Li: It's beautiful!
李:多漂亮啊!Will: Li! Stop!
威尔:李!停下来!重点讲解:
1. go mad
发疯;发狂;
eg. The insult made him go mad as a March hare.
这种侮辱把他给气疯了。
eg. Kings go mad and the people suffer for it.
〔谚语〕国王发狂,百姓遭殃。
2. paint the town red
(多指夜生活中的)狂欢作乐;痛饮狂欢;
eg. He is going out tonight to paint the town red.
他今天晚上要玩个痛快。
eg. So when it comes to the weekend, I usually hang out in pubs or clubs with my buddies and paint the town red!
因此每到周末,我通常都会和我的朋友去酒吧或者俱乐部狂欢。
3. go out
外出交际;外出娱乐;
eg. I'm going out tonight.
我今晚要出去玩。
eg. It will be a marvellous occasion and they should go out and enjoy it.
这是个好时机,他们应该出去痛快地玩一玩。
4. be meant to do sth.
理应发生;应该做某事;
eg. Life is a journey that is meant to be experienced in full.
生活是一次旅行,人们应该完整地体验它。
eg. The papers are meant to be think pieces , but not day-dreaming pieces.
我们希望学生经过思考去完成论文,而非凭空想像去完成。
5. stay up
深夜不睡;熬夜;
eg. I used to stay up late with my mom and watch movies.
我以前总是和妈妈一起熬夜看电影。
eg. I am going to stay up late to finish my paper.
为了完成报告我打算熬夜不睡。
6. would rather do sth.
宁愿;宁可做某事;
eg. They want a house, whereas we would rather live in a flat.
他们想要一座房子,而我们宁愿住在一套房间里。
eg. He said he would rather stay at home.
他说他情愿留在家里。